


north & north

by moopyjoopy



Category: RWBY
Genre: Atlas Academy, Gen, Magic, Time Travel, Time Travel AU, atlas academy oscar, farm son and iron dad?, i don’t know how to tag, no beta we die like men, oscar has too many parental figures, seriously tho once I’ve posted a few chapters can someone tell me what tags I need to add
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26950243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moopyjoopy/pseuds/moopyjoopy
Summary: Oscar may have survived the fall, but falling was the easy part. Tired, auraless and cold, he passes out in the snow and wakes up at Atlas Academy, four months before the fateful 40th Vytal Festival.a.k.a. i woke up at 3 am yesterday and decided that there weren’t enough oscar time travel fics and also atlas academy oscar??? hell yeah
Relationships: James Ironwood & Oscar Pine, Oscar Pine & OMC & OFC & OFC, Oscar Pine & Winter Schnee, Ozpin & Oscar Pine, Qrow Branwen & Oscar Pine, Qrow Branwen/Ozpin (background)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 145





	1. Cold

**Author's Note:**

> hi so i haven’t actually written any other chapters yet i have no schedule and school starts back up tomorrow so... yeah posting is gonna be pretty irregular.  
> if there’s large hiatuses it’s either because I’m stockpiling chapters or I’m just lazy
> 
> sorry

Oscar knew logically that he hadn’t known General Ironwood for very long, but as he stared into those cobalt eyes, cold and hardened, he could only see an old friend lead astray. 

“To you...”

He could see the hesitation flicker in him. It was only for a moment.

“...it’s General.”

The bullet hit him like a charging boarbatusk. It hurt like hell. His aura shattered at the impact and Oscar couldn’t help but think how this would have gone if Oz was with him.

_ Maybe if he was here... if I hadn’t forced him to reveal his past... maybe I wouldn’t be falling to my death right now. Perhaps it’s better that he’s getting a new host... _

_** ‘Oscar.’ ** _

His eyes, which had been drifting slowly closed, snapped open. Knowledge filled his mind and he knew exactly what to do.

* * *

Falling had been the easy part, but now he was miles from Mantle, with no aura,  utterly exhausted,  shivering to death in the snow. It was doubtful that he would even be able to survive  _ with _ aura.

“O-Oz... it’s so c-cold...”

** ‘Stay calm, Oscar. We  _ will _ make it to Mantle.’ **

“I... can’t...”

** ’Oscar, wake up. Oscar! _OSCAR!’_ **


	2. Developments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar wakes up and James has a bad day.

The afterlife, it seemed, was soft and warm and totally unlike the tundra that Oscar had probably just died in.

_ Is this what reincarnation is like? Is this the new host’s head? _

He had expected an immediate explanation, but there was nothing.

_ Hello? _

Silence.

_ Oz? _

His heart dropped. Not again... this couldn’t be happening again...

“Oz!”

Oscar startled at the sound of his own voice. As new to this as he was, he didn’t think he would have control of the body that quickly...

Wait. His  _ own _ voice.

_ I’m... not dead? _

Warily, he opened his eyes. It appeared that he was in one of the Atlas Academy recovery rooms, where students went when they were sick or injured.

Which meant that James had found him.

Panic spread through him like a chill. Ironwood had already tried to kill him once, and he didn’t want to have to go through that again. The boy screwed his eyes shut, a few tears falling onto the white blanket.

“Ozpin!! I really need your help! Please! You promised me you wouldn’t leave again- you- you- promised!!”

Nothing. Nothing at all. Oscar was alone and at the mercy of the General. He curled into himself like a ball, breaths quickening and catching in his throat. The Long Memory, which Oscar just noticed that he was clutching tightly, did nothing to calm him down as it used to. All it did was remind him that Oz had once again abandoned him. That didn’t stop him from gripping it harder in hope of solace. 

The door to the tiny room slammed open, making the farmhand flinch violently as he sobbed. 

He knew those footsteps. He knew who was approaching his bed. They were the same footsteps that backed him to the ledge.

  
Too close.

_Too close._

_ “ STOP! ” _

  
  


* * *

James Ironwood was having a... strange day, to say the least.

Like normal, he woke up at 5:30 am, set his bed, got ready, made his coffee, and went to his- rather grand- office to do work.

Unlike normal, there was a young boy in damaged combat gear passed out on his office floor.

The General’s office was not some place that anyone could just... walk into.

So how...?

He called a couple of guards to take the boy to a recovery room until he woke up and could answer some questions.

For now, James needed a drink.

This... child, had infiltrated one of the most secure places on Remnant. If a mere teenager could get in, then what else could?

After a few hours of working, he received a message from one of the school nurses to tell him that the boy had woken up and that he wasn’t in the best state.

When he got to the recovery room, he put a little bit too much strength into opening it.

_ Damn this metal arm. _

The sobbing child flinched and further tried to hide his head. 

_ Shit.  _

James stepped closer and the shaking seemed to stop, seeing this as an improvement, he stepped closer again.

And again.

_ “STOP!” _

James was blasted into the wall. He winced in pain and looked back up to see what had happened, before freezing.

That was Ozpin’s shield. The glowing, green sphere, the occasional crackle of emerald sparks... there was no mistaking it.

The nurse helped him to his feet and brought him to another room to patch him up. It was lucky that he’d engaged his aura in time, or he may have been seriously injured.

His injuries weren’t what he cared about, though. Finding out more about the shield was his top priority now.

The nurse, after checking him over, allowed him to go back to his office.

There were so many questions circling around in his head.

_ Who is this boy? Where did he come from? How did he get here? How can he use a force field like Ozpin can?  _

The only way to get any answers was by asking, and that didn’t seem like it would go very well.

The second option was asking Ozpin.

Ozpin, who was currently pissed at him for breaking his favourite mug (he actually had several of the same one, but Qrow had given him that one so in his eyes in was special).

With a heavy sigh, James pressed the call button.

It rung for a while- the old man was probably making him wait just to inconvenience him- before finally Oz appeared on the screen with a small smirk on his face. As ancient as this man was, he was still extremely immature and petty.

“Why hello, James. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Greeted the wizard a little smugly, likely due to his small victory. James sighed again, rubbed his temples, and showed him a picture of the boy’s face that the nurse had taken for identification.

“Do you know him?”

He asked tiredly. Ozpin frowned.

“No. Should I?”

Great.

“Ozpin, this child was unconscious on the floor in my office this morning. He woke up a few hours later and had a panic attack. When I approached him, he created a force field that threw me into the wall. It was  _ your  _ force field.”

Intrigue and surprise were visible in the other man’s amber eyes as he leaned forward on his hands.

“His semblance being similar to my shield is likely naught but a rare coincidence. What I’m interested in is how _he_ managed to get into  _ your _ office.”

“I-“

“ _Ozpin!_ The faculty meeting started  _five minutes ago_!!”

“Ah. Apologies, James, we’ll have to continue this conversation another time, or Glynda will have my head. Goodbye.”

“Oz-“

The call ended with a click before he got the chance to protest.

_ Doesn’t he understand? This is a matter of international importance! _

Shaking his head, he pulled up live footage of the recovery room the boy was in and noticed that the shield was now gone and the boy was asleep.

Gloved hands were now visible, as was the object they were gripping tightly.

A metal cylinder. A familiar metal cylinder...

Hastily, he called the nurse.

“General Ironwood. I presume you’re calling about the boy?”

“Yes. What is he holding? Why was it not taken off of him?”

If he was right...

“I’m... not sure, exactly. It’s a metal... thing, with sort of swirl patterns on it. It’s got a white dome at the top and a circle bit at the end with some cogs. Oh, and a long piece of metal protruding from the circle bit. I tried to take it from him but the little guy just wouldn’t let go, even asleep.”

She chuckled a bit. Ironwood was not nearly as amused.

“Send me a photo.”

He had to have confirmation. A few seconds later, the nurse sent him the requested image. Oh gods, this was a headache. How?!

“Thank you. That will be all.”

“Alright then, General Ironwood. Take care.”

It wasn’t possible. He knew that object. Once again, the General called up Beacon’s headmaster.

“As grateful as I am for an excuse to get out of that meeting, I am still required to be there. What is it now, James?”

Ozpin sounded more than a little peeved, and he wondered if he should have waited a while.

_ No. This is important. _

“He has your cane, Oz. Your. Cane.”

“The boy? That’s not possible, I have it right here.”

A quick message containing the image of it shut him up very quickly.

“Oh. That is, without a doubt, my cane.”

Finally, he was taking the situation seriously. There was a pause before Ozpin spoke again.

“I will be there as soon as possible. Keep me updated.”

That sentence brought James just a little bit of relief.

“Thank you.”

The call ended with a click and he let his head fall onto the desk with a  thunk.

_ I  ** really ** need a drink. _


	3. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ozpin’s arrival brings some things to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah... it’s been a while. fuck school, enjoy this chapter <3
> 
> p.s
> 
> look at the list of characters for hint of who will be in the next chapter 👀

The General considered himself a professional man. Neat uniform. Strict schedule. Straight posture. When leading an army, one needed to present themself as a well put together person, even when alone.

Falling asleep at one’s desk was not professional, and he often found himself chiding Ozpin for doing it so much.

Yet, there he was, startling upright at the sound of a buzzing scroll by his head. James winced as he heard and felt the crackling bones in his back before picking up the call.

“O’Sullivan here. He’s awake again, but this time he doesn’t look like he’s about to cry.”

_ Oh, is that the nurse’s name? _ He felt a twinge of guilt that he hadn’t even bothered to ask before.

“Good. I will be there shortly. Thank you for the call.”

“Not a problem, General. See you soon.”

Once again, James found himself trekking towards the medwing on the other side of the academy.

About three quarters of the way there, he heard raised voices around the corner, in one of the teachers’ offices. He followed the shouting and saw an uptight looking man with shoulder length brown hair, adorned in regal looking clothes, yelling at an impatient young Professor.

“...filthy animals accepted into  this  supposedly prestigious academy?! I will  _ not  _ have it! Get those creatures out of this school or you’ll find that my son will be going to a  _ private  _ huntsman academy!”

“If that’s truly how you feel, Mr. Alberich, Atlas Academy will most certainly not be hurt by your loss. Here, faunus are accepted and treated like people. Because they  _ are  _ people. Unlike you, it appears.”

“How- how  _ dare  _ you-! The General will hear about this!”

Ah. Mr. Alberich was here. Just what he needed. A racist, sexist, pompous asshole starting up more outrage about the school among other racist, sexist, pompous assholes like Jacques Schnee and Jay Shute.

“Mr. Alberich.”

He cut in to spare Professor Pan from any more conservative nonsense. A smirk had to be fought back when he watched the colour drain from the businessman’s face.

“What was it, exactly, you wanted me to hear about?”

Alberich turned into a sputtering mess, pale face turning red in record time, and this time James  _ did _ allow himself a smirk, however small.

“I- this- you are allowing  _ monsters _ into this academy!”

The smirk fell, replaced by a cold glare.

“Yes. And as soon as you leave, the number of ‘monsters’ will drop to zero. There’s only one monster in here, Alberich. His invitation just expired. The guards can show you out.”

“I- you- you’re going to regret this! No one insults an  _ Alberich  _ and gets away with it!  _ You will be hearing from my lawyer! _ You hear me?!”

Finally, that annoying voice was gone. Turning to Pan, he received a grateful glance.

“Thanks,”

They said, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder.

“That guy’s been bothering me for half an hour.”

He nodded in response. 

“He’s been bothering  _ me _ for a decade.”

Pan chuckled and glanced back at their desk, removing their hand and heaving a great big sigh. There was a large pile of paperwork set aside and a few other papers strewn all over the desk.

“That Alberich just stormed in and I didn’t even get a chance to do any marking... well, I must get back to work now, General, and I’m sure you do too. Good day.”

“Same to you, Professor. Good luck with your marking.”

James left the room feeling a little lighter. As much as the man pissed him off, Alberich had been a good way to blow off steam. After all, who  _ didn’t _ like telling off trash humans?

As he reached the child’s recovery room, his hand hovered over the doorknob. Would it be the same as last time? Was the kid going to have  _ another  _ breakdown? Would he be rational this time?

_ Gods, _

He thought,

_ I really don’t want to have to deal with this. _

The General shook his head to snap himself out of his hesitation. As powerful as he seemed to be, this was just a child. A mysterious one, but a child nonetheless.

The door pushed open and there he was- awake silent, and... glaring?

Well, more like pouting. He was far too cute to look scary.

“Yesterday morning,”

James started, shutting the door and taking a few steps towards the child.

“I entered my office to find you injured and unconscious on the floor.”

He looked confused, but continued glaring. Ironwood raised an eyebrow and began pacing back and forth in front of the bed.

“That afternoon, you woke up, had a panic attack, and blasted me with a shield that looked very familiar to me. You passed out again, and upon closer inspection of your person you were discovered to be holding a cane belonging to Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon Academy. This is impossible, because he has his cane with him, yet says that the one you have is genuine.”

At this point, the child’s expression changed from mild confusion to full on ‘what-is-going-on’.

“Now. I want you to tell me who you are, what you are doing here, and how these things are possible.”

He stopped pacing and looked straight into those hazel eyes. They did not waver.

“General. I know this is a stressful situation, but you aren’t _seriously_ telling me you’ve forgotten who I am, are you?”

A blank stare made the boy sigh.

“I’m Oscar. Oscar Pine, Ozpin’s reincarnation, remember? The one you  _ shot _ off a  _sheer drop_? Are you not even surprised that I’m _alive_?”

The boy- Oscar- gestured to himself before dropping his hands to his lap.

So he was crazy. Fantastic.

“Mr. Pine, I’m not sure  where you got those ridiculous notions from, but Ozpin is alive, and I’ve never met you before in my life. Let alone  _ shot _ you.”

Oscar ignored him and squinted at his face, as if he was looking for something, then furrowed his eyebrows and sat up.

“You... shaved your beard. In the middle of a crisis.”

As confounded as he was, James didn’t let his face show anything. There was a moment of silence between them.

_ What is he talking about? There is no crisis. _

“I can assure you. There is no crisis.”

The outright denial seemed to anger Oscar. His hands fisted around the duvet as he leaned forward and grit his teeth. It may have been a figment of imagination from the General’s sleep deprived brain, but he could have sworn the boy’s eyes had glowed bright green for a second.

“James Solon Ironwood, you have been acting increasingly irrational since the Fall of Beacon. I know that it was a traumatic event for everyone involved, but this? This is too far.

“There are people down in Mantle who are going to  _ die _ because  you decided to put the rich and powerful above those down at the bottom! _Literally_.”

Though his feet hadn’t moved, James felt his back touch the wall. Oh. The glowing eyes thing definitely _wasn’t _ his imagination. He could see them burning bright from there. Oscar was _angry_ and, in his experience, that wouldn’t end well.

“What... what is the Fall of Beacon?”

The simple question seemed to  really set him off. He was almost snarling now, eyes like green stars, and despite James’ earlier thoughts of ‘too cute to be scary’, a little bit of fear wormed its way into his heart. The boy opened his mouth to say something, but luckily the General was saved by the door opening to reveal a silver-haired man in green.

Oscar’s head whipped around to Beacon’s headmaster. 

It almost seemed to happen in slow motion. 

Glowing green met with warm amber and in honestly frightening synchronisation, the two of them clutched their heads and screamed.

He’d never seen Ozpin so vulnerable before.

But now?

There was the most powerful man he knew, screaming in sync with a young boy, curled up with his arms around his knees on the floor.

It was terrifying.

He managed to rip his gaze away from Ozpin to check on Oscar. 

The boy was worse.

Only the whites of his eyes were visible, and his nose was bleeding like a running tap.

Suddenly, like someone flipped a switch, the mesh of screaming stopped and Oscar flopped backwards limply onto the bed.

Ironwood’s heart was going like a motor when he turned back to Oz. He was panting heavily, wiping away a nosebleed of his own (not nearly as bad as Oscar’s, though) as he stumbled to his feet. He followed behind as the ancient wizard extended his cane and tiredly walked out of the room.

There was silence for a while in the hallway- Nurse O’Sullivan had gone to take care of the kid- and an unspoken ‘what the hell’ between them. It was probably two minutes before James decided to voice it.

“What. What  _ was _ that?”

Ozpin took off his glasses (a rare occasion, this must have been important) and rubbed at his temples before responding.

“That, James, is probably what happens when two people with the same soul are too close to each other.”

He raised his eyebrows at that. Sure, he knew by now that he could never predict any of the insanity to come out of Ozpin’s mouth, but... the same soul?

“I’m sorry... _what_?”

Floundered the General, moving a little closer to the edge of the seat.

“Tell me. What happens to a pair of magnets when you try to put the north end and the other north end together?”

“They repel each other.”

“Exactly. That child in there... if he truly is my reincarnation as I heard him say, he and I are the metaphorical north ends of the magnet. However, this also means thathe has somehow travelled from the future.”

All he needed was a sign that this was all in jest. Surely, any second now, Ozpin would smile and tell him that he was just kidding.

Except...

That face was completely serious. It was so serious that it almost sent chills through him.  _ Him_. The  _general_.

“And... what if he’s one of  _ Hers_?”

Chanced Ironwood, a hint of hesitation in his voice. The wizard shook his head vehemently.

“I could  feel my aura- my  _ magic_\- it was _radiating_ from him. He is  not a spy.”

He stated. With that amount of surety, James couldn’t help but trust him, as cautious as he was of Oscar. 

But...

What would happen if Oz was wrong?

What if Oscar really  _ was _ one of Salem’s underlings?

What then?

“James? Hello? What else did you learn?”

He snapped out of his reverie of dark thoughts, jumping slightly, before starting to describe what had happened with Oscar.

“Oscar Pine...”


	4. W I N T E R   I S   C O M I N G

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> w i n t e r i s c o m i n g

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me?? updating this fic after three months of writer’s block???? it’s more likely than you think.
> 
> yeah i know this chapter is shit but uhhhh yeah i got stuck anyway it’s 12:15 am on the first day of school and i dont wanna go

To be perfectly honest, Winter had been expecting General Ironwood to greet her in person after her long, tiring and  _ very important _ mission to find a highly dangerous missing fugitive.

That idiot she had been chasing for weeks was arrested, obviously, and probably locked in a high security cell somewhere.

However, when her airship landed on the Atlas Academy landing pad, the General was nowhere to be seen.

This would usually have not been a problem, but she had sent him a message prior to her landing that she had discovered some important intel and that he needed to meet her right away.

Winter walked with purpose towards a couple of guards who just seemed to be standing about.

“You two!”

They jumped and turned to her, saluting stiffly.

“Ma’am.”

One of them said. The girl sounded a little fearful. Probably newbies.

“Where is General Ironwood? I had requested he meet me here.”

The two guards looked at each other and shrugged.  _ Definitely _ newbies. Winter sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Actually, uh... I don’t think either of us have seen General Ironwood around at all for a few days.”

“That doesn’t help me at all.”

“S-sorry ma’am! Most of the teachers have come by, just not General Ironwood. Even they haven’t seen much of him, apparently.”

“So you don’t know where he is. Just wonderful.”

“Well, uh... we did see Professor Ozpin here earlier.”

_ Gods, why didn’t they mention that earlier?! Morons. _

“You didn’t think to mention that at the beginning?”

At this, both of them adopted sheepish looks. Dealing with those two idiots was getting tedious, and she needed to wrap it up ASAP before she developed a migraine.

“Where did Professor Ozpin go? Did either of you see?”

Winter asked sharply, raising her eyebrows at them.

“No, Ma’am. Apologies.”

The special operative clenched her jaw and stalked off, leaving the embarrassed incompetents to themselves. Atlas Academy was enormous, how was she supposed to find the General?!

_ His office should be a good start. _

How outstandingly unsurprising! James was not in his office, and Winter was no closer to finding him. Her next order of business was to strategically search the academy for him (i.e., wander about until she found him). And when she did see that stupid face-

Her thoughts came to a screeching halt when she found herself knocked to the floor, somebody’s papers flying everywhere. Winter was prepared to yell at yet  _ another _ idiotic guard when she was met with the familiar face of Professor Lee, smiling.

“Oh. Hello, Winter.”

He helped her to her feet and began gathering up his scattered papers. Slightly embarrassed, she helped him. Soon, they were neatly piled up in his arms.

“So. What’s got you on the warpath, Special Operative?”

The Professor asked amusedly, causing her face to flush. Was her irritation really  _ that _ obvious? 

“I am looking for General Ironwood. He was supposed to meet me, but he never showed up. I’ve been told that Professor Ozpin arrived today as well, so that likely has something to do with it.”

“Hmm... the General has been kind of scarce recently. He passes me in the halls on occasion, but doesn’t even say hello. As for Professor Ozpin? I think I saw him heading down to the medwing earlier.”

_ Finally, some direction! _

She thanked him and headed for the medwing. Which happened to be on the other side of the academy. Her groan of frustration echoed off the walls.

* * *

Oscar didn’t look nearly as fear-inducing now that he wasn’t glowing. Or screaming. That was an improvement too. He was still giving James a death stare, though.

So, it seemed, was the nurse.

“I’m not sure I trust you with him anymore, General. So far you’ve caused him two panic attacks- the second one he came out of with a bloody nose! I’ll have your head if you go causing a third.”

With a stern look, she crossed her arms and stepped outside. The boy smirked- probably smug because he just got chewed out, the little shit. Perhaps he should at least try to get Oscar to like him. He’d start with an apology.

“I’m... sorry about before.”

He raised his eyebrows with an unimpressed look on his face. James wondered how many expressions Oscar had in him.

“No you’re not.”

Sometimes it was hard to Not Strangle The Child. He was really trying his best to be accomodating, and all he got in return was sass. A deep sigh was all the response he gave Oscar before he pulled out his scroll and called Ozpin, like they had planned earlier, handing it painstakingly to Oscar. That scroll contained delicate military information, and as much as he trusted Ozpin, he hated the thought of a grubby kid who may or may not work for Salem getting his hands on it.

“Hello,”

Said Ozpin in a frustratingly calm voice, leaning slightly closer to the scroll that was set up on the desk in Nurse O’Sullivan’s office. There was a mug of brown liquid beside him- definitely hot chocolate. The General had no idea how Oz had got it, considering none of the staff rooms stored any type of chocolate mix and the nurse banned sugary things from her medwing.

“My name is Professor Ozpin, but you probably know that already, don’t you?”

Oscar went pale.

“It’s a trick.”

He whispered, barely audible.

“It can’t be real. Salem got me, didn’t she?! This is some sort of illusion!

Ozpin seemed to stiffen on the other side of the scroll call. James did, too.

_ He... he knows about Salem?! _

“I won’t tell you how to use the relic. That’s what you want, right? Now that you have the relic you need to know how it works. I’d rather die than tell you,  _bitch_. ”

The boy snarled, causing the two adults to frown. Ozpin furrowed his eyebrows at his statement.

“ _ Mr. Pine _ . I can assure you, this is no trick. I understand that you are confused considering that you came from the future-“

“The... future?”

Interrupted Oscar, tilting his head slightly at the suggestion. He looked wary- James didn’t blame him. If someone had told him that he’d travelled back in time, he’d probably be more than skeptical.

“Well, yes. You believe that I am dead, and that there is some sort of attack on Mantle. Neither of those things are true. I  _ know _ that you are who you say you are. Thus, the future.”

James hated how sure Ozpin seemed about this. The man was acting as though this sort of thing happened every day.

“How do I know that you’re telling the truth?”

It was becoming increasingly easier to agree with the child, he found. Ozpin smiled at him and took a sip of his hot chocolate before answering.

“Ask me anything.”

Hesitantly, Oscar began.

“Okay... ou-  _ Ozma’s _ original mother. What did she used to call him when he was a kid?”

“Little hunter. I... he told her that he would hunt down all of the Grimm-”

“-and make the world safe.”

Oscar finished softly with an unreadable look on his face. He stared blankly at his sheets for a while, then looked back at the scroll and nodded.

“Okay. I believe you.”

The frankly touching moment was interrupted when the sound of a door slamming open echoed through the medwing and Ozpin could be seen looking at someone across from him in the room.

“Ah, Miss Schnee-“

“Professor Ozpin. Please excuse my intrusion, I was looking for General Ironwood and when I saw you through the window I assumed he was in here.”

Oscar immediately perked and the aura of an excited puppy suddenly surrounded him. The reason for this was unknown to James.

“I-“

Started Oz, but the Special Operative had evidently already left judging by the sound of the door shutting.

“Winter’s here?!”

Said the kid, before without warning, he leapt from his bed and rushed out into the hallway. The General wasn’t far behind, obviously not about to let Oscar escape.

He wasn’t prepared for what he saw next.

Oscar- the same child who had a breakdown when James even  tried to approach him, that very child who hadn’t even said a word to the nurse from what she’d told him, the boy who physically could not be in a room with Ozpin- had his arms wrapped around Special Operative Winter “Ice Queen” Schnee’s waist.

She looked utterly and completely confused and resigned to awkwardly patting Oscar on the head. At this, he snuggled closer into her side, a content smile on his face. 

When she looked up at the General, time seemed to stop.

Winter’s face morphed into an expression of rage that had been building up all day when she saw him.

In other words, James was dead.


End file.
